May 22, 2008
|  |  | phone: 541-754-7668 address: 227 SW 2nd Street, Corvallis, OR
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| | Five Good Books
| | | | City of Thieves
The Cellist of Sarajevo
Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors
Comfort Food
The Woman Who Can't Forget: The Extraordinary Story of Living with the Most Remarkable Memory Known to Science
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David Benioff
Benioff second novel (after The 25th Hour) blends tense adventure, a bittersweet coming-of-age story, and a buddy narrative in this story about two young men on an impossible adventure. The tale is based on his grandfather's stories about surviving WWII in Russia. When 17-year-old Lev Beniov is caught looting in occupied Leningrad, his life is spared on the condition that he undertake a strange mission with a Russian army deserter. (Benioff also wrote the screenplay for The Kite Runner.) Hardcover, $24.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9780670018703
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Steven Galloway
Galloway's haunting first novel tells the story of three people trying to survive during the bloody siege of Sarajevo, and of the mourning cellist who plays in their midst. As the story beings, a shell lands in a bread line and kills 22people as the cellist watches from a window in his flat. He vows to sit in the hollow where the mortar fell and play Albinoni’s Adagio once a day for each of the victims. Inspired by true events, the novel depicts the intersecting lives of these people struggling to stay alive. "A grand and powerful novel about how people retain or reclaim their humanity when they are under extreme duress." — Yann Martel, author of Life of Pi. Hardcover, $21.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA), ISBN-13: 9781594489860
| | | | | | Bryson's Dictionary for Writers and Editors Bill Bryson
What is the difference between “immanent” and “imminent”? What is the singular form of graffiti? What is the difference between a cardinal number and an ordinal number? One of the English language's most skilled writers answers these and many other questions as he guides us towards precise, mistake-free usage. Covering spelling, capitalization, plurals, hyphens, abbreviations, and foreign names and phrases, this will be an indispensable companion for all who care enough about our language not to contort it. Hardcover, $22.00
Publisher: Broadway Books; ISBN-13: 9780767922692
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Kate Jacobs
Jacobs follows The Friday Night Knitting Club with another multigenerational tale, this time about food and a celebrity chef. Cooking show host Gus Simpson, a widowed mother of two adult daughters, is tired of being a constant hostess and mother hen. When the ratings of the show fall, Gus must take on a new producer, format, and cohost. Gus and the show's cast, with their humor, moods, and romance, are the sparks that bring this story to life. Hardcover, $24.95
Publisher: Penguin Group (USA); ISBN-13: 24.95
| | | | | | The Woman Who Can't Forget: The Extraordinary Story of Living with the Most Remarkable Memory Known to Science Jill Price with Bart Davis
Jill Price has the first diagnosed case of a memory condition called "hyperthymestic syndrome" — the continuous, automatic, autobiographical recall of every day of her life since she was fourteen. Her memories are like scenes from home movies, constantly playing in her head. The Woman Who Can't Forget is the beautifully written and moving story of Jill's quest to come to terms with her extraordinary memory. Her fascinating journey speaks about the delicate dance of remembering and forgetting in all of our lives and the many mysteries about how our memories shape us. Hardcover, $26.00
Publisher: The Free Press; ISBN-13: 9781416561767
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| For Readers of All Ages
| | | | | Some Helpful Tips for a Better World and a Happier LifeRebecca DoughtyRecommended age range: 4 to 8 Simply told and vibrantly illustrated, this little book of tips is sure to get kids thinking about the world around them. The collection of aphorisms includes:
- Begin each day making funny faces in the mirror.
- Invent occasions for celebration (like International Bunny Appreciation Day).
- Help someone in need.
- Lend Mother Nature a hand.
- Be YOU.
Hardcover, $9.99
Publisher: Schwartz & Wade Books; ISBN-13: 9780375842726
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| New in Paperback
| | | | Einstein: His Life and Universe
The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel
The Blood of Flowers: A Novel
How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table
Are We Rome?: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America
| | Einstein: His Life and Universe Walter Isaacson
A century after Albert Einstein began postulating his "Big Idea" about time, space, and gravity, a new biography examines the scientist whose public idolization was surpassed only by his legitimacy as one of humanity's greatest thinkers. Walter Isaacson, the author of excellent profiles of Benjamin Franklin and Henry Kissinger, used newly released personal letters from the Einstein archives to offer a probing look at a provocatively freethinking individual. This is a comprehensive and very readable biography. Paperback, $17.95
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group; ISBN-13: 9780743264747
| | | | | | The Last Chinese Chef: A Novel Nicole Mones
When Maggie McElroy, a widowed American food writer, learns of a Chinese paternity claim against her late husband's estate, she has to go to Beijing. She asks her magazine for time off, but her editor counters with an assignment: to profile a rising culinary star Sam Liang. In China, Maggie unravels the knots of her husband's past, and guided by Sam, she is also drawn deep into a world of food rooted in centuries of history and philosophy. The Last Chinese Chef is the alluring novel about friendship, love, cuisine, and how a woman reclaims her soul in the most unexpected of places. Paperback, $13.95
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company; ISBN-13: 9780547053738
| | | | | | The Blood of Flowers: A Novel Anita Amirrezvani
Both a love story and a portrait of 17th-century Persia, this is a historical novel of a young woman whose gift for making magnificent rugs transforms her life. After her father's untimely death, a village girl and her mother move to the city of Isfahan and become servants in the opulent home of a wealthy rug maker. The girl is forced into marriage, but is determined to free herself and her mother by creating her own beautiful carpets. Like Scheherazade, the heroine's mother is a master storyteller, and her tales are woven into the novel. Paperback, $13.99
Publisher: Little, Brown & Company; ISBN-13: 9780316065771
| | | | | | How to Pick a Peach: The Search for Flavor from Farm to Table Russ Parsons
Equal parts cookbook, agricultural history, chemistry lesson and produce buying guide, this densely packed book is a food-lover's delight. California food writer Parsons ( How to Read a French Fry) begins with a fascinating tale of agribusiness trumping our taste buds to supply year-round produce, and then shows how farmer's markets are bringing back an appreciation of local and seasonal foods. He then takes readers on a delectable season-by-season produce tour, providing information on where each fruit or vegetable is grown and how to choose, store and prepare it. Paperback, $14.95
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company; ISBN-13: 9780547053806
| | | | | | Are We Rome?: The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America Cullen Murphy
Depending on who's doing the talking, the history of Rome serves as either a call to action or a warming of imminent collapse. Cullen Murphy ventures past the pundits' rhetoric to draw nuanced lessons about how America might avoid Rome's demise. He reveals the many similarities between the two empires: the insular culture of our capitals; the debilitating effect of venality in public life; the paradoxical issue of borders; and the weakening of the body politic though privatization. He argues that we most resemble Rome in the growing corruption of our government and in our arrogant ignorance of the world outside. Paperback, $14.95
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Company; ISBN-13: 9780547052106
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| Music
| | |      | | | | Abigail Washburn and the Sparrow Quartet Abigail Washburn $17.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
The Sparrow Quartet "supergroup" are: Abigail Washburn (banjo & vocals), Ben Sollee (cello), Casey Driessen (fiddle) and Bela Fleck (banjo). In 2004 they toured Tibel, introducing audiences to American music while absorbing Asian influences. This resulting album bridges the gap between those traditions, offering up an unorthodox brand of folk music that combines old-timey strains with Eastern scales, Chinese lyrics, and some twangy banjo.
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California Guitar Trio $15.95
Genre: Classical
As a classical crossover group, CGT recognizes few boundaries as they fuse Classical music with Jazz, Rock and World genres. On Echoes, they play tasteful Classical acoustic guitar arrangements of familiar tunes by Queen, Pink Floyd, Mike Oldfield and more.
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Sonny Landreth $16.95
Genre: Blues/Jazz
For his 9th release,Louisiana slide-guitarist Landreth invites other masters to join him on duets. Included in this Blues summit are Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, and Vince Gill, as well as Dr. John and Jimmy Buffett.
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Mason Jennings $13.95
Genre: Pop/Folk
With primarily just his acoustic guitar and voice, songwriter Jennings presents a bright, soulful selection of originals. The tunes range from the characteristic folk ballad,"Something About Your Love," to the atypically funky "Soldier Boy," to a fun duet with Jack Johnson, "I Love You and Buddha Too."  Recommended if you like: Jack Johnson, Josh Rouse
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Orchestra Baobab $18.95
Genre: Ethnic/World
Orchestra Baobab is a Senegalese collective spanning an wide range of styles, including rumba, reggae, and salsa, as well as their own native influences. "Imagine the Buena Vista Social Club weaned on motherland polyrhythms." — Rolling Stone
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| | Special Events
| | | | | Jo Dereske, author of the Miss Zukas mysteriesFriday May 23, 3:00pm, Grass Roots loft Jo Dereske is the author of seventeen published books: two mystery series and three books for young people. The New York Times called the Miss Zukas series, "a loving sendup of the stereotype of the prim and proper librarian." Jo lives in the foothills of Mount Baker near Bellingham, Washington. For more information, visit her web site.
An evening with Molly Gloss
Wednesday, June 4, 7:00pm, at the Corvallis Arts Center. Doors open at 6:30
Jointly sponsored by Grass Roots and The Arts Center Molly will read from her latest novel, The Hearts of Horses. Doors open at 6:30.
The evening is a true community event. Fiddle music by OSU student Justin Feeman starts at 6:30. Local photographer Tina Buescher will share her black and white landscapes of eastern Oregon and Idaho. Mehlhaf's is lending their Pendleton blanket "Celebrate the Horse," and the Henderer family is providing western saddle and tack. Local author Linda Crew will do the introductions. There'll be bales of hay, dessert, and cowboy coffee. All this sets the stage for telling Molly Gloss's latest story of nineteen-year-old Martha Lessen, a shy young girl from Pendleton who gets a ranch job breaking horses. The story follows Martha as she grows into her relationships with both the horses she trains and the people she works with. The story is set in an unromanticized World War I-era American West. Gloss's writing is realistic as she weaves a one-of-a-kind story about the connections between people and animals.
About the author: Molly Gloss is a fourth-generation Oregonian who lives in Portland. Her novel The Jump-Off Creek is a Pacific Northwest classic, winner of the Oregon Book Award and the Pacific Northwest Booksellers Award, and a finalist for the PEN/Faulkner Award. The Dazzle of Day received the PEN West Fiction Prize and was a New York Times Notable Book.
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| Reading Group News
| | | | | Next meeting: Tuesday, June 3, 6:30-8:00 pm, in the cozy Grass Roots loft.
Book: Finn by Jon Clinch No experience or membership necessary: first-timers always welcome! Jon Clinch takes us on a journey into the heart of one of American literature’s most mysterious figures: Huckleberry Finn’s father. The result is a story that springs from Twain’s classic novel but takes on a life of its own. Finn is a novel about race, paternity in its many guises, the shame of a nation, and an unforgettable family. Above all, Finn reaches back into the darkest waters of America’s past to fashion something compelling, fearless, and new. "Haunting...Clinch reimagines Finn in a strikingly original way, replacing Huck’s voice with his own magisterial vision that is nothing short of revelatory." – Washington Post  Paperback, $14.00
Publisher: Random House Trade, ISBN-13: 9780812977141
On sale for $11.90 until June 3.
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| | On Our Nightstands
| | | | |  Here's what we've been reading this week.
Jack:
Miss Zukas and the Library Murder
Jo Dereske
Paperback, $6.99
Sandy:
Stenciling the Arts and Crafts Home: A Comprehensive Guide to Beautifying Your Bungalow
Amy Miller
Paperback, $24.95
Tiffany:
Lonely Hearts
John Harvey
Paperback, $13.95
Melody:
Do Travel Writers Go to Hell?: A Swashbuckling Tale of High Adventures, Questionable Ethics & Professional Hedonism
Thomas B. Kohnstamm
Paperback, $13.95
Deborah:
Finn
Jon Clinch
Paperback, $14.00 (on sale until June 3 for $11.90)
See "Reading Group News" for more information.
Anna:
Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic
Elizabeth Little
Hardcover, $21.95
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